CM Punk Reveals Creative Process Of WWE “Rap” Dissing John Cena
CM Punk has given some insight into why he did a rap dissing John Cena and who helped him with it.
The road to WWE Night of Champions saw WWE Champion John Cena and his opponent, CM Punk, deliver some memorable promos.
On the June 20th edition of WWE SmackDown, Cena did a promo that was his version of Punk’s epic 2011 “Pipebomb” promo, which Punk did while Cena was down in the ring on a table. Punk was lying on a broken table while Cena did his speech.
CM Punk responded to Cena’s promo with a “Master of Punkanomics” rap that mocked his rival Cena on the final SmackDown before Night of Champions. That promo from Punk was praised heavily because even though he was out of his element trying to channel Cena from 20 years ago, Punk pulled it off, and the fans loved it.
In an interview with Matt Aguilar of ComicBook Nation, CM Punk talked about how he leaned on some friends for help with the promo.
“It was a lot of research. I watched a lot of John’s delivery. His cadence and how he talks. A good friend of mine by the name of Jensen Karp, who is, to me, a battle rap master. That is what he does. It’s his lane. I definitely leaned on him. ‘This is what we’re doing.’ I could do this myself, but it was really his wheelhouse, so I kind of handed the ball to him. He helped me greatly, along with another friend of ours, Rone.”
Jensen Karp is a former WWE writer whom Punk has known for a long time.
CM Punk Wasn’t Interested In Doing Another Pipebomb Promo
As he continued, CM Punk said that people have wanted him to do another “Pipebomb” promo like he did 14 years ago, but Punk explained that he didn’t want to do a sequel.
“The genesis of the idea was, everybody is expecting this pipebomb 2 from me. I’m not into delivering sequels to stuff that don’t need sequels. For 14 years, people have been chasing this moment and trying to replicate it, duplicate it, talk like me, sit like me. I’m not so much into doing the same thing. I couldn’t have even followed myself. How is that for a supremely egotistical comment?
Everyone is expecting me to zig, so I zag. That was the idea with it. Really, just having fun. That entire week was pretty emotional for me, being the last time I was going to get to share a ring with John Cena.
CM Punk went on to talk about what he was going for with the “Basic Punkanomics” promo.
I wanted to make it special and memorable. I find that when I challenge myself and put myself outside my comfort zone, that’s when the best stuff happens. People are going to remember that, whether it’s because of the delivery, the content, the way I was dressed, the atmosphere. I think it was a hell of a moment.”
At WWE SummerSlam on August 2 & 3, CM Punk will face Gunther for the World Heavyweight Title. Punk won a 5-man Gauntlet Match to earn the title shot. Perhaps this time, Punk will leave with gold, unlike when he lost to Cena at WWE Night of Champions.